Planta Centro Forced to Shut Two of Five Generators for Repairs

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--CADAFE’s Planta Centro, the largest thermoelectric generating plant in Latin America, was forced to shut down two of five generating units after unexpected failures in the circulating pump and generator.

Unit 2 tripped offline on August 7, 2007, after a mechanical fault occurred in the water-circulating pump No. 1. Repair works were delayed because of the unavailability of a tow truck to assemble the pump. On September 6, 2007, during the start-up process, maintenance personnel found high vibration levels in bearings No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4. They will perform balance and alignment work until October 10, 2007.

Unit 3 was taken offline June 2, 2007, for maintenance. During preparations for start-up on June 28, 2007, maintenance personnel detected a failure in the generator. Plant officials said the failure was due to a detached blade of the hydrogen-cooling ventilator, which caused cracks in the primary water system’s hoses. On July 9, 2007, the consignment permit was postponed for 60 days for annual maintenance and generator repair. The annual maintenance had been delayed because of administrative issues between CADAFE and the contractor, Alstom Power Italia.

Workers are trying to bring both units online as quickly as possible because of the unavailability of Units 1 and 5, which are undergoing conversion of the main boilers to gas. Unit 1 began the process in August 2003 together with an upgrade of the boiler’s complementary systems. Unit 5 had been shut down after a March 7, 2003, incident, which affected the transformer equipment, auxiliary devices and the main control room. At the same time, the unit’s boiler is undergoing the process of conversion into gas. Both units are scheduled to be brought online by mid-2008.

Unit 4 is running at half capacity, producing only 280 megawatts (MW) from the total 400 MW. This is due to a high-pressure difference in the inlet /outlet of the regenerative air heaters.

CADAFE's Planta Centro in Carabobo State is Venezuela's largest thermal power plant in Latin America. It is equipped with five generating units that use natural gas and fuel oil as fuel. Unit 2 was converted to dual-fuel capability and was a stepping-stone in the process of converting the remaining boilers, a process expected to be completed by the end of 2009.

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